The present application relates to a folding knife. In particular, the present application relates to an automatic knife having a lock configured to lock the knife blade in both the closed and the open positions and a safety mechanism configured to prevent inadvertent rotation of the knife blade out of either the closed or the open position.
Folding knives typically include a handle and one or more blades pivotally attached to the handle, the blades having a compact closed position and an extended open position. Folding knives may be manually operated, have an assisted-opening mechanism, or have an automatic opening mechanism for moving the blade from the closed into the open position.
In folding knives having a manual operation, a user opens the blade by grasping the blade or pushing a knob protruding from the blade in order to rotate the blade into the open position. Assisted-opening knives include a bias mechanism that aids the user in opening the blade, typically requiring the user to open the blade a certain amount manually, then assisting the opening of the blade the rest of the way into the open position. Automatic knives include a bias mechanism configured to fully open the blade upon actuation of an opening mechanism, such as a push-button. A folding knife may have a locking mechanism configured to lock the blade into one or both of the closed or open positions. A number of locking mechanisms are known including liner locks having a spring arm that engages the rear of the blade to lock the blade open and other sliding or push-button mechanisms that engage the blade to prevent blade rotation.
In more sophisticated folding knives, a safety may be included to maintain the blade in the closed position. Such a safety may be particularly desirable in the case of an automatic knife to ensure that the blade is not inadvertently opened.